This illogical ideology is about to change thanks to the work of Kerry Clark, PhD, MPH, Professor of Epidemiology & Environmental Health at the University of North Florida. At the recent Lyme Disease Association (LDA) 17th Annual Conference in St. Paul, MN, Clark presented his work showing that Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) DNA has been detected in scores of human patients and dogs from the South, who had no travel history to Lyme endemic regions.Bbsl was isolated in culture from patients from both Florida and Georgia – never before described in scientific literature.

The take home: Clark found live Bbsl (bissettii-like strain) in people from the Southeast who had undefined disorders not typical of LD, and were treated for LD even though they were seronegative, proving that B. bissetti is responsible for worldwide human infection.

He also showed DNA of Bbsl in Lone Star ticks which might be a bridge vector of transmission to humans.

Dr. Clark was the first to report finding LD spirochetes in animals and ticks in South Carolina, as well as in wild lizards in South Carolina and Florida. He has documented the presence of LD Borrelia species, Babesia microti,Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia species, and other tick-borne pathogens in wild animals, ticks, dogs, and humans in Florida and other southern states.